Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo Seems More Focused Without Key Distractions

No player has taken Dallas Cowboys towards the end of the season than quarterback Tony Romo">more heat for the poor performance of the Dallas Cowboys toward the end of the season than quarterback Tony Romo. Now, he is leading arguably one of the hottest and most dangerous teams in the postseason after last weekend's blowout over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Coming into this season, Romo had been criticized for his inability to perform in the month of December (5-9 record) and the postseason (0-2). After the Cowboys lost their first two games of December to two very talented teams in the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers, he helped his team win their three final games of the regular season—including a 24-17 win over the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints.

Romo's performance in the final month of the season was good enough to earn him NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors. Not bad for a player who was once considered a choke artist toward the end of the year.

So what helped Romo overcome his demons from previous Decembers?

While most of Romo's success should be credited toward a strong supporting cast in the offense and defense, part of his turn around should be credited to two individuals who are no longer distractions in his life.

Terrell Owens and Jessica Simpson.

Throughout most of his career, Owens has established a reputation for his love with the media. The argument can be made that he was the main reason for the emergence of Romo as he caught more touchdowns in his three years with the Cowboys than any other player in the NFL.

Still, his off the field distractions were always a reason for concern—especially when they would get Romo involved with the media. Too many times the media seemed to develop a story around him based off something Owens said, which at times provided extra stress for a quarterback who was just trying to help his team win. 

The same distractions seemed to occur when Romo was dating Simpson. Along with her famous jersey dance during one of the Eagles-Cowboys games, he was often criticized for focusing more on her than his team. He was even criticized for taking a vacation with her to Mexico in January 2008 before the Cowboys first playoff game against the New York Giants, which Dallas lost as a No. 1 seed.

Once the offseason rolled around, Jerry Jones made the tough decision to release Owens in March to get rid of the distractions he brought to the team. Four months later, Romo decided to part ways with Simpson a day before her 29th birthday.

With them out of the picture, Romo arguably had the best year in his three seasons as a starter. Not only did he break a franchise record by throwing for 4,483 yards—along with 26 touchdowns and a career low nine interceptions—but he made better decisions before throwing the ball compared to the previous two seasons.

It was debatable how Romo would perform in his first season without a player like Owens by his side. Turns out, he's an even better player without him thanks to a strong support cast on offense and a stellar defense.

As bad as it sounds, losing Owens and Simpson may have been the best thing to ever happen for Romo in his career. He's more focused as a player and has the Cowboys on the verge on their first NFC Championship appearance since 1996.

He already gave Wade Phillips his first career playoff win and ended Jerry Jones' streak without a playoff victory. With a Super Bowl appearance, Romo may become a hero to the city of Dallas.

First things first though; find a way to get past Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings—who are 8-0 this season at the Metrodome.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com.

He is also the founder of the new NFCEastFootball.com.